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Maldives

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South Asia

Maldives is home to 3 documented ethnic groups in South Asia — led by Maldivian (~99%), South Asian Maldives (~1%), Other Maldives (~0%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
MaldivianMaldivian98.5%National Bureau of Statistics Maldives 2022 Census; ethnic Maldivians (Dhivehi-speakers) comprise approximately 98.5% of the resident population (~382,000 of ~388,000 total citizen population). Maldives is among the most demographically homogeneous national populations globally
South Asian MaldivesSouth Asian Maldives1.2%Maldives 2022 Census plus Ministry of Foreign Affairs immigration data; resident foreign nationals from South Asian source countries (predominantly Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Pakistani — predominantly engaged in resort, construction, and broader service-sector labor migration). Approximately 4,500+ foreign-resident workers
Other MaldivesOther Maldives0.3%Maldives 2022 Census residual; foreign-resident populations from other source countries (Filipino, Nepali, Ethiopian, plus tourism-sector and broader expatriate communities)

Maldives Phenotype Profile

Maldives is among the most demographically homogeneous national populations in South Asia and globally — approximately 98.5% ethnic Maldivian (Dhivehi-speaking) per the 2022 Census, with smaller South Asian (~1.2%) and other foreign-resident (~0.3%) communities. The country's demographic structure reflects approximately 2,500+ years of population processes: the foundational South Indian Dravidian substrate, substantial Sri Lankan Sinhalese / Indo-Aryan migration, and the Indian Ocean trade-period admixture with Arab, Persian, East African, and Southeast Asian source populations. The 12th-c. CE conversion to Sunni Islam established the contemporary religious structure (~99.6% Sunni Muslim per official statistics).

Genome-wide patterns place Maldivians as showing primarily South Asian / Sri Lankan source ancestry with smaller Arab / East African / Southeast Asian admixture detectable in some sub-populations. Skin tone across the population spans Fitzpatrick III-VI with IV-V the modal value nationally — somewhat darker than Sri Lankan Sinhalese populations on average. Hair is predominantly straight to wavy (Andre Walker 1A-2B) and uniformly black or very dark brown. Eye color is uniformly brown to dark brown. Facial features track South Asian source populations with subtle distinguishing features. Build is intermediate; adult Maldivian male mean stature is approximately 165-168 cm.

Maldives faces an existential geopolitical challenge as the lowest-elevation country in the world (mean elevation ~1.5 meters above sea level) — sea-level rise associated with climate change is documented to threaten the territorial integrity and habitability of the country over the 21st-22nd c., with substantial demographic and political implications for the long-term survival of the Maldivian ethnic community.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Maldives population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights are derived from the National Bureau of Statistics Maldives 2022 Census plus Ministry of Foreign Affairs immigration data. Maldives has a small population (~388,000 citizens plus ~50,000+ resident foreign workers) that produces composition estimates with high statistical confidence given the country's demographic homogeneity. Caveats: (1) the resident foreign-worker population (predominantly South Asian) is partially captured in the composition but the precise distribution shifts seasonally with tourism-and-construction labor demand; (2) the country's small population and unique atoll-island geography produce some demographic distinctness from neighboring South Asian populations; (3) climate change-driven sea-level rise represents a long-term existential threat to the Maldivian demographic continuity that no other major national population faces in comparable severity.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.National Bureau of Statistics Maldives. Population and Housing Census of Maldives 2022. Malé: NBS; 2023.
  2. 2.Maloney C. People of the Maldive Islands. Bombay: Orient Longman; 1980.
  3. 3.Romero-Frías X. The Maldive Islanders: A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona: Nova Ethnographia Indica; 1999.
  4. 4.Reich D, Thangaraj K, Patterson N, et al. Reconstructing Indian population history. Nature. 2009;461(7263):489-494 (with broader South Asian context).
  5. 5.Forbes ADW. Archives and Resources for Maldivian History. South Asia. 1980;3(1):70-82.

Other countries in South Asia

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring South Asia nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all South Asiaethnic groups & countries →